Triple M Sport

FORMER Dresden Dolls singer-songwriter Amanda Palmer has always
been tight with her fans, but since she embraced Twitter, more so
than ever. With 393,500-odd followers, she regularly tweets
impromptu gigs and ''happenings'', and at Friday's Forum show
several of her followers provided the backstage food after a social
networking call-out.

It's no surprise then that Friday's show felt like an intimate
gathering, Palmer chatting away to the crowd as though we were in
her living room.

She opened with the Dresden Dolls' Sex Changes,
accompanying herself on the keyboard, before telling us: ''I love
this f---ing city so much!''

The bulk of the show was material from her Ben Folds produced
solo album Who Killed Amanda Palmer, showcasing both her
skill for lyricism and her powerful voice. She belted out Missed
Me, Ampersand and Astronaut (for which she was
joined by a string quartet).

There was also some new material and a lot of audience
interaction.

Palmer sang a new song ''especially for Australia'' (and already
on YouTube) about her hatred of Vegemite, before introducing Paul
Kelly, who joined her on guitar for a duet of My Winter
Coat.

She then brought out support band Mikelangelo and former Bad
Seed Mick Harvey for an odd singalong of the Bad Seeds' Harvey
Lee.

This seemed to be the gig's highlight until Palmer broke out her
ukulele for her unique take on Radiohead's Creep, which
bowled over the already wildly appreciative crowd.